Researchers at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) found out that for every 1oC increase in nighttime temperature, rice yields declined by 15 percent.
They confirmed this by correlating 25 years of weather data with crop yields.
The decline is twice the seven percent decline that IRRI’s theoretical models forecast in 1979.
IRRI’s finding is the first direct evidence of decreased rice yields from increased night temperatures associated with global warming.This is according to Dr. Shaobing Peng IRRI’s crop physiologist, when the report was presented to the US Academy of Sciences. — BPG